Trim strip and mounting therefor



14, 1956 J. H. KONEFES 2,758,748

TRIM STRIP AND MOUNTING THEREFOR Filed June 29, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

g 14, 1956 J. H. KONEFES 2,758,748

TRIM STRIP AND MOUNTING THEREFOR Filed June 29. 1953 2 Sheefs-Sheet 2 29 M 27 INVENTOR.

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ATTORA/IVS United States Patent TRIM STRIP AND MOUNTING THEREFOR Joseph H. Konefes, Libertyville, Ill., assignor, b'y mesne assignments, to Amana Refrigeration, Inc., Amalia, Iowa, a corporation of Iowa Application June 29, 1953, Serial No. 364,538

4 Claims. (Cl. 220-43) This invention relates to an improved trim strip and mounting therefor.

More particularly this invention refers to a structure espectially suitable for use in connection with containers such, for example, as the crisper drawers embodied in some types of refrigerator cabinets and has as one of its objects to provide a trim strip with a part serving as a handle to facilitate manipulation of such slidable containers.

It is another object of this invention to provide a trim strip and mounting structure wherein the trim strip is not only equipped with a part which will serve as a handle for drawers, but is also of a design enabling its use on a part or parts fixed adjacent the drawers to afford a matching design of pleasing appearance.

It is still another object of this invention to provide relatively simple means for securely fastening the trim strips to either or both the drawers and parts fixed adjacent to, said drawers.

The, foregoing as well as other objects will be made more apparent as this description proceeds especially when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure l is a front elevational view of a trim strip and mounting structure showing the same applied to the crisper drawers and intervening support in a refrigerator cabinet.

Figure 2 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken on the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3- is a sectional view taken on the line 3- 3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on'the line 44 of Figure 3; v

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure l; and

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the clip shown in Figure 3.

In Figure 1 of the drawings, the bottom portion of a refrigerator cabinet is shown with the usual door removed and the numeral 10 designates a pair of crisper drawers slidably supported within the refrigerator cabinet by a rail 11. The rail 11 extends between the drawers 10 and is secured to the bottom of the cabinet by an upright 12 having a front wall 13 forming in effect a continuation of the front walls or panels 14 of the drawers when the latter are in their closed positions.

Each crisper drawer 10 has a trim strip 15 secured to the front wall 14 thereof and extruded or otherwise formed of plastic or any other specified material. In the present instance the strips 15 on the drawers 10 are identical and hence only one strip will be described in detail herein. The strip 15 is positioned at the front side of the wall 14 and is of suflicient length to extend from one side edge of the wall 14 to the opposite side edge of the latter. As shown in Figure 2 the strip 15 is transversely curved in a forward direction and is turned laterally at the top to provide a rearwardly extending flange 16 which overlies the top edge of the front wall 14 of the 2,758,748 Patented Aug. 14, 1956 2 drawer 10. The flange 16 is formed with laterally spaced depending ribs or projections 17 which extend for the full length of the flange I6 and respectively engage opposite sides of the front wall 14 of the drawer 10 to hold the top of the strip 15 in assembled relationship with the drawer. I

The bottom of the stri 15 is offset laterally from the front wall 14 of the drawer 10 in a forward direction to provide a finger engaging piece or handle 18 rendering it possible for the user to readily manipulate the drawer. Projecting rearwardly from the portion of the trim strip 15 immediately above the handle 18 is an enlargement 19 which extends for the full length of the s t-rip 15 and is formed with a rearwardly openin groove 20 therein. The groove 20 is coextensive with the enlargement 1'9 and forms a channel for receiving fastener elements in the form of spring metal speed nuts 21. The nuts '21 are transversely bowed and are struck-out to provide stud engaging fingers 22.

The top and bottom edges of the nuts 21 respectively project into grooves 23 formed in the flanges 24 of the channel, and the rear edges of the flanges 24 are turned laterally inwardly with respect to the channel to form bearing flanges 25. The rear surfaces of the bearing flanges 25 abut the front surface of the wa1l 14 of the drawer 10 and the front surfaces of the bearing flanges engage the speed nuts 21 to retain the latter in assembled relationship with the groove 20 or channel in the trim strip 15. The grooves 23 extend for the full length of the flanges 24 and the speed nuts 21 are installed in the groove or channel 20 from either end of the strip 15. The construction is such that the speed nuts 21 are slid'able lengthwise of the groove 20 of channel in the strip 15 to enable readily registerin the nuts with cooperating fastener elements in the form of studs 25 extending in a forward direction through holes formed in the front wall 14 of the drawer 10. The fingers 22 of the nuts 21 grip the shanks of the studs 25' to place the nuts under tension against the from surfaces of the flan es 25 and thereby clamp the'rear surfaces of the flanges 25 to the wall 14 of the drawer 10.

In order to improve the appearance of the assembly when installed in a refrigerator cabinet, for example, a

trim strip 26 is secured to the front face of the wall 13 of the upright 12. The trim strip 26 is identicalto the strips 15 and when the drawers 10 are in their closed positions forms, in appearance, a continuation of the trim strips 15. Since the trim strip 26 is identical in construction to the trim strips 15, the same reference characters are used to designate corresponding parts.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings the top of the trim strip 26 is mounted on the wall 13 of the upright 12 in the same manner previously described for mounting the trim strips 15 on the front walls 14 of the drawers 10. However, the enlargement 19 on the trim strip 26 adjacent the offset portion 18 is clamped to the wall 13 of the upright 12 by a pair of spring metal U-shaped clips 27 having a base part 28 and legs 29. The clips 27 respectively straddle opposite side edges of the wall 13 and the front legs 29 of the clips project into opposite ends of the channel or groove 20 in the enlargement 19. More particularly the front legs 29 of the clips 27 extend into the grooves 23 in the flanges 24 and respectively engage the front surfaces of the bearing flanges 25. The rear legs 29 on the U-shaped clips 27 engage the adjacent rear surface of the Wall 13 of the upright 12 and cooperate with the front legs to securely clamp the trim strip 26 to the wall 13. As shown in Figure 6 of the drawings the inner end of the rear leg 29 of the clip is inclined rearwardly to serve as a pilot for guiding the clip in assembled relationship with the upright member 12. In order to assure securely fastening 3 the trim strip 26 in place, the rear leg 29 of each clip 27 has a struck out lug 30 that has a biting engagement with the wall 13 of the upright 12.

It follows from the foregoing that the trim strips not only impart a neat and pleasing appearance to structures of the type disclosed herein but, in addition, provide a handle or grip capable of being conveniently engaged by the user to manipulate containers such as the crisper drawers of a refrigerator. It is also apparent from the above that the trim strips are readily and securely attached to adjacent supporting structure in a manner such that the fastening elements are concealed from view.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In combination, a container having an upright wall, and a horizontally extending elongated trim strip upon the front of said upright wall, said strip being provided at its upper edge with a rearwardly extending flange overlying the upper edge of said upright wall and provided at its lower edge with a rearwardly projecting enlargement engaging the forward surface of said upright wall, said flange having spaced depending ribs engaging opposite sides of said upright wall at the upper edge thereof, and means for clamping said enlargement against the forward surface of said upright wall to hold the ribs aforesaid against displacement from opposite sides of said upright wall, including a headed element extending forwardly through said upright wall into said enlargement, and means within said enlargement gripping a portion of said headed element, whereby said enlargement is held against displacement from the forward surface of said upright wall.

, 2. In combination, a container having an upright wall, and a horizontally extending elongated trim strip upon the front of said upright wall, said strip being provided at its upper edge with a rearwardly extending flange overlying the upper edge of said upright wall and provided at its lower edge with a rearwardly projecting enlargement engaging the forward surface of said upright wall, said flange having spaced depending ribs engaging opposite sides of said upright wall at the upper edge thereof, said enlargement having a rearwardly opening channel facing said upright wall, the top and bottom sides of said chan nel having vertically aligned grooves therein, and means for clamping said enlargement against the forward surface of said upright wall to hold the ribs aforesaid against displacement from opposite sides of said upright wall, including a headed element extending forwardly through said upright wall into said channel, and means within said vertically aligned grooves gripping the portion of the headed element within said channel, whereby said enlargement is held against displacement from the forward surface of said upright wall.

3. In combination, a container having an upright wall, and a horizontally extending elongated trim strip upon the front of said upright wall, said strip being provided at its upper edge with a rearwardly extending flange overlying the upper edge of said upright wall and provided below said flange with a rearwardly projecting enlargement engaging the forward surface of said upright wall, said flange having a depending rib engaging the rear side of said upright wall at the upper edge thereof, said enlargement having a rearwardly opening channel facing said upright wall, the top and bottom sides of said channel having vertically aligned grooves therein, a stud extending forwardly through said upright wall into said channel, and means within said vertically aligned grooves gripping the portion of said stud within said channel, whereby the rib aforesaid is held against displacement from the rear side of said upright wall and said enlargement is held against displacement from the forward surface of said upright wall.

4. In combination, a container having an upright wall, and a horizontally extending elongated trim strip upon the front of said upright wall, said strip being provided at its upper edge with a rearwardly extending flange overlying the upper edge of said upright wall and provided below said flange with a rearwardly projecting enlargement engaging the forward surface of said upright wall, said trim strip also having a forwardly and downwardly extending projection constituting a handle by which the container may be moved, said flange having a depending rib engaging the rear side of said upright wall at the upper edge thereof, and means for clamping said enlargement against the forward surface of said upright wall to hold the rib aforesaid against displacement from the rear side of said upright wall, including a headed element extending forwardly through said upright wall into said enlargement, and means within said enlargement gripping a portion of said headed element, whereby said enlargement is held against displacement from the forward surface of said upright wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,150,497 Fernberg Mar. 14, 1939 2,292,445 Hilldring Aug. 11, 1942 2,596,780 Meyers et al May 13, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 619,028 Great Britain Mar. 2, 1949 

